


put a hand in

by benjidunn



Series: Benthan Week 2019 [1]
Category: Mission: Impossible (Movies)
Genre: Alcohol, Benthan Week, IMF workplace shenanigans, M/M, Mentions of Violence, Team Bonding, it's all very tongue-in-cheek, matchmaker
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-14
Updated: 2019-08-14
Packaged: 2020-08-23 10:41:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,625
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20241526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/benjidunn/pseuds/benjidunn
Summary: Jane, Luther, and Will make a bet on who can convince Ethan and Benji to go out first. Things don't go as planned.





	put a hand in

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, everyone! I wasn't planning on participating in Benthan Week because I thought I was going to be too busy, but at the very last minute (read: less than 24 hours in advance) I decided to attempt to write something. So I apologize that this is definitely not up to my (already low) standards, but I thought it was a fun idea.
> 
> Terrible at titles, so take this measly Hello, Dolly! reference.

“Has anyone else noticed the way Ethan looks at Benji?”

Will raises his head and sends Jane a quizzical look. “Is this why you suggested we go out for drinks tonight?”

“You think I would invite you out just to gossip about our co-workers?”

“Stranger things have happened,” he responds as he sips on his beer.

“What do you think, Luther?”

Luther blows a puff of air through his lips. “I don’t know.”

“Ethan’s never said anything?”

“He’s mentioned Benji, sure.”

“So they really are just friends?”

“This isn’t anything I want to get into. Not after Julia.”

Jane’s expression shifts into something more sympathetic. “It’s not that I’m trying to pry, but Ethan--”

“Is sickeningly in love with Benji?” Will sets his bottle down on the table and leans back in his seat. “Yeah, we’ve all noticed. Your point?”

Jane purses her lips and stares down into her glass for a moment. “Well, what if we set them up?”

“Jane,” Luther says flatly.

“Like we’re high schoolers?” asks Will.

“A while ago Benji told me how lonely he felt sometimes,” she quickly adds. “All his family lives in England and he’s been mostly single since he moved here. I thought maybe it would be nice if we encouraged them to--”

“Oh my god,” Will breathes. “Do we even have proof they’re not straight?”

“Benji’s only ever mentioned ex-boyfriends to me.”

“And Ethan?”

Jane and Will both turn their attention to Luther. There’s a pregnant pause that feels ten times longer than it really is before Luther responds with, “I’ve always thought he’s been transparent about it.”

“About being straight or not?” Will asks.

“He’s not.”

“I figured.”

“So,” Jane starts, “Benji’s single, Ethan’s single, Benji’s not straight, Ethan’s not straight, Benji’s lonely, and Ethan looks at him like he’s the best thing in the world.”

“You’re missing the part where we’re playing cupid,” Will snarks.

“I think they would appreciate the company.”

“If that’s all you think, why didn’t you invite them out with us?”

“Benji said he was busy tonight.”

“What about Ethan?”

“Him too.”

“They’re both busy on a Friday night?” He snorts. “I’m sure setting them up will be a piece of cake, then.”

“Does that mean you’re in?”

“No, and even if it did, how the fuck am I supposed to set them up?” He takes another swig of his drink before saying, “‘Hey, Ethan, I was out with Jane the other day and she thinks you and Benji should hook up.’”

“That’s not what I’m saying.”

“That’s what it sounds like.”

Jane narrows her eyes and curls her lips into a terse frown. There’s another pause before she finally asks, “You really think you couldn’t do it?”

“Uh oh, I don’t like the sound of that.”

“I don’t think it would take much prodding to convince them.” A mischievous grin lights up her face. “That would be a fun bet, actually. Who can convince Ethan and Benji to go out first?”

“Absolutely not. Luther, please tell--” Will suddenly stops as he catches the small smirk on Luther’s face. “There’s no way you think this is a good idea.”

“It might be kind of fun,” he answers.

“Ethan’s your best friend, isn’t he? You said you didn’t want to say anything after Julia.”

“He’s talked about being lonely, too,” Luther says. “He’s always been pretty stubborn when I tell him something he doesn’t want to hear. I wonder what would happen if I suggested something he might be interested in.”

“Alright, then,” Jane says as she shifts through her purse for a pen and notepad. “I bet I can convince Benji to ask Ethan out before you can convince Ethan to ask Benji out. Let’s meet on Wednesday after work to check our progress. Winner gets free drinks for the next two months.” She scribbles down the terms on her notepad and signs it. “You want in, Brandt?”

“You can’t--” He interrupts himself with a large sigh. “Even if I wanted to, you have Benji and Luther has Ethan. Who am I supposed to take?”

“Since you’re so reluctant about the whole thing, you can try to convince either one of them.”

“You think I’ll really do this for two months of free drinks?”

“Three months and bragging rights.”

Will furrows his brow, takes another sip, and sighs. “This is so stupid,” he mumbles. Then he holds out his hand for the pen.

***

There’s a cafeteria in the IMF headquarters much like any other workplace cafeteria, although who’s eating lunch there is oftentimes a mystery. That’s where Jane has the advantage, because Ethan usually disappears during lunch, while Benji normally shows up there with something he brought from home so he can eat quickly and return to his deskwork. Jane has a similar routine, only leaving the building if her boyfriend wants to get lunch together. As a result, she’s spent the last couple of years sharing lunch with Benji, an absolutely lovely lunch partner to have, and someone who expects nothing out of the ordinary when she takes a seat across the table from him and greets him with a warm, “Hey, Benji.”

“Hey, Jane,” he returns, shutting the book he had opened in front of him and pushing it away from him. “Glad to see you survived that meeting this morning.”

“I didn’t think it was that bad.”

“It was fucking awful. I _ hate _Jason giving them. Absolutely no personality. I can’t imagine what he must be like to work with in the field.”

“He’s a hard worker. But he works behind the scenes for a reason.”

“I mostly work behind the scenes, too, but I’m fairly sure my demeanor isn’t that soulless.”

Jane grins. “I wouldn’t worry about your demeanor if I were you.”

“I’m not, which is why I’m bitching about others.” He pulls a nearby tupperware closer to him. “You seem to be in a better mood than me, though, so sorry for that useless bit of negativity.”

“You act like I’ve never heard you complain about meetings before.”

“Oof, do I complain that much?” He winces. “They’re the worst part of this job.”

“Even worse than being shot?”

“I would get shot five times before I willingly let Jason tell me about new mission protocols again.”

“I don’t know about that.”

Benji flushes. “No offense to you, Jane, but he’s so dreadful to listen to.”

“And no offense to you, but I like seeing you at work.”

“Come visit me in the hospital, then. Bring the whole team. The IMF wants team bonding or whatever.”

“Or you can avoid the hospital and come get drinks with us when we ask.”

“Ah,” he says as he grabs a fork from his bag. “So we’ve arrived to Friday night.”

“You broke our hearts,” she pouts.

He shakes his head. “Terrible performance. I don’t believe you actually missed me.”

“We did, really. Both you and Ethan.”

“We left you all by your lonesomes, hm?” He wraps his fork through the spaghetti noodles within the tupperware and takes a bite. “You survived that much. I’m sure it wouldn’t be too much different if I got shot five times and missed another night.”

“If you were shot five times, you might never come back.”

“Ethan’s bounced back from worse.” He shrugs and takes another bite. “I just need some of his pure dumb luck to rub off on me and I’ll be fine.”

“Can dumb luck be transferred?”

“We’ll see.” The grin he flashes isn’t a typical Benji grin. It seems flirtatious more than anything else. Benji couldn’t have made this set-up any more perfect if he tried.

“You know,” Jane says, “I think Ethan would come out with us if you asked instead of me.”

He swallows down the food in his mouth and tilts his head. “Why do you think that?”

“Whenever you’re gone, Ethan is gone.”

“Coincidence,” he says.

“I don’t think so.”

“Why?”

“I can’t think of a single time when Ethan was with us and you weren’t.”

That makes him furrow his brow. “And your point is...?”

“Oh, c’mon Benji,” she says with a grin. “I think he likes you.”

“He likes all of us.”

“Not as much as he likes you.”

He scrunches face even more. “He’s pretty close with Luther, too, but he’s not always out getting drinks with him. I don’t think it means much.”

“That’s not what I mean.”

“What do you--” His eyes widen suddenly. “Oh.”

“I’m just saying,” she says as she rests her cheek on her fist.

“And your only evidence for this is that he doesn’t go out with you if I’m not also there.”

“There’s more to it than just that.”

“Like?”

“Have you never noticed the way he looks at you?”

“Like a good mate would,” Benji says. His tone is as casual as it has been for the rest of the conversation, but it’s difficult to tell if he’s joking or not.

“As his good mate, then, you should invite him out more.”

“You mean I have to extend your invitation to him.”

“Not even that,” she says. “He lives by himself. I’m sure he gets bored sometimes.”

The expression on Benji’s face is a strange mixture of emotions. Perplexed, intrigued, amused. “Why don’t you ask him out yourself if you think he’s bored?”

“I told you already.”

“Right. Silly me.”

There’s a sudden lull in the conversation. She’s so used to these lulls with Benji that it’s hardly uncomfortable, but the urge to say something more is strong enough that she shifts in her seat and fidgets with a button on her blouse as she struggles to find any way to continue the conversation. Maybe she had underestimated how easy this would be, because she doesn’t want to run the risk of being too obvious and embarrassing Benji, but he’s more reluctant to her subtle suggestion than she had thought. Then again, Benji has always been easy to fluster.

Before she can say anything else, though, Benji jolts upright, rolls up his sleeve, checks his watch, and then quickly gathers his things together. “Sorry, Jane,” he breathes, “I forgot I’m meeting with someone today over lunch.”

“Oh,” is all she can get out before he’s on his feet and ready to move. “I’ll talk to you later, then.”

“I’ll try coming next time you go out,” he tells her. “Just tell me when.” He waves at her before turning on his heels and moving towards the exit of the cafeteria.

Once he’s gone, she deflates. That went much worse than she thought it would. At least Brandt wasn’t there to witness it.

***

“Hey, man.” Luther clasps his hand down on Ethan’s shoulder and sets down a folder next to him. “How’s the Tokyo file?”

“Dull as always.”

“No update?”

“Nope.” Ethan leans back in his seat and pinches the bridge of his nose. “I know I broke whatever protocol on the last mission, but you’d think the IMF would have sent me back out again since.”

“I think it’s a good thing that the world doesn’t need Ethan Hunt saving it at the moment.”

“But does the world need me to work on this file that nobody’s ever going to see?”

“You don’t know that,” Luther says. “Maybe the next time you’re sent out into the field is because someone stole this Tokyo file to show the world.”

“Worst case scenario if this file get stolen,” Ethan jokes, although his tone is so flat that the humor is absent.

“Don’t tell me this is what you were busy with Friday night.”

“It’s not what I was busy with Friday night,” Ethan parrots before he sets the papers in front of him aside. “You want to pull up a chair? My eyes hurt too much to keep doing this.”

Luther reaches for an empty chair at a nearby desk and tugs it up alongside Ethan. “Have you ever thought about glasses?”

“I don’t need them. My eyes just hurt, that’s all.”

“Eye strain could be a sign that you need glasses.”

“Or it’s a sign that I’ve been doing paperwork for too long.” He swivels around in his chair to get a better look at Luther. “Can you imagine me in glasses? The day I need glasses is the day I’ll retire for good.”

“What’s wrong with glasses?”

“They’re difficult to wear when you’re dangling off the sides of planes regularly.”

Luther lets out a laugh. “Guess so.”

“Contacts can’t be any easier,” he continues.

“They might be if you’d stop your stunts.”

Ethan doesn’t respond to that. Instead, he smirks, reclines into his chair, and lets out a long sigh. “I might go take a quick walk,” he says. “I can’t sit around like this for too long. You’re free to join, of course.”

“I just finished walking,” Luther laughs. “Why else do you think I’m here?”

“I was under the impression that we’re friends.”

“That’s a part of it.”

“You mean you didn’t walk all the way out here just to talk to me?”

“I have to drop off papers sometimes.”

“Guess we’re not as good of friends as I thought,” he sighs.

“Do you just walk around and talk to people?”

“Sometimes.”

“Like…”

“You, Benji… whoever else wants to talk to me, I guess.”

“So the stories about you always hanging around Benji’s desk are true, then.”

Ethan sits up suddenly. “Stories?”

“People talk about you, Ethan.”

“I know that, but I didn’t think talking to Benji was newsworthy.”

“It’s more about how frequently you talk to him and less about the fact that you talk to him.”

“I didn’t think I visited his desk that much.”

“The rest of the office says otherwise.”

“Maybe they should try it sometime. He’s fun to talk to.”

“What do you talk about when you’re with him?

“Oh, I don’t know.” A sweet smile lights up his face. “Everything, I guess. Whatever’s on our minds. I do have work-related things to ask him here and there, but it’s easy to get off-topic with him.”

“You like Benji.”

“Who doesn’t?”

“Thank deskwork that you can talk to him, then.”

Ethan’s smile softens as he settles back into his chair. “Don’t make me say anything kind about deskwork,” he says as he rocks himself. “Although that is an upside.”

“You wouldn’t have met Benji otherwise.”

“Oh, no,” he moans, bringing his hands to his face. “Don’t say that.”

“And you wonder why people talk about how often you visit him,” Luther sniggers. “You have a decade of talking to him under your belt at this point.”

“The facts really aren’t lining up well for me, are they?”

Luther watches as Ethan folds his arms across his chest and glances down at the floor. It’s not a sign of defeat, but something a bit more vulnerable. It’s the same kind of temperament he falls into when Benji’s brought up sometimes, like talking about him is too much for him. For a few moments, Luther hesitates, trying to figure out what exactly he should say to Ethan, whether he could tease him or be direct with him or drop the subject altogether. Then, he finally settles on, “It’s only a matter of time until the office starts thinking something more is happening between you two.”

That gets Ethan’s attention. He raises his chin, expression already befuddled. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I’m only telling you this as a friend,” Luther continues. “But sometimes it seems like you have a bit of a crush on Benji.”

“A crush on--” Ethan’s face breaks out into a large grin. “You think I--”

“I’ve seen you get giddy around girls before,” he interrupts. “This isn’t much different. It’s something I’ve noticed for a while.”

“How long?”

“Long enough.”

Ethan doesn’t answer immediately. Instead, he laughs, like he’s unsure about what to think. “Alright,” he says after a few moments, “I have a bit of a crush on Benji. Anything wrong with that?”

“Not at all. The only thing any of us are wondering is when you’re going to do something about it.”

“That straightforward, huh?”

“Like I said, I’m telling you this as a friend.”

Ethan purses his lips into a tight grin and rubs his chin. “Guess I should probably get back to work.”

“What happened to your walk?”

“I just realized something for the Tokyo file. Thanks, Luther.” He returns to his desk and wakes his desktop up. 

***

Jane and Luther are already standing near her car by the time Will parts through the front entrance. They’re engaged in friendly conversation that quickly dissipates into silence when Will is within earshot. “There you are,” Jane says quietly as he circles around her trunk. “I didn’t think you had much left to finish up.”

“My computer is slow as hell,” Will sighs. “I’ve complained about it ten times to IT, but they still haven’t done a damn thing about it.”

“Poor Will,” Jane sighs. “A slow computer in an agency full of people who understand computers.”

“Save it for later, tell me about the bet.”

That takes the jest out of Jane’s expression. “I don’t understand,” she says. “I’ve been talking to Benji all week and casually bring up dating here and there, but he seems uninterested. He used to tell me all the time how much he missed dating.”

“Has he said anything about Ethan?” Luther asks.

“He’s always talking about Ethan. But the idea of going out with Ethan is like a joke to him.”

“Uh oh,” Luther says. “That’s a problem.”

“What? Did Ethan say something?”

“I got him to admit that he has a crush on Benji.”

“Oh.” There’s a short, awkward pause, only interrupted when Jane says, “Maybe it’s not a bad thing, maybe Benji is just uncomfortable with discussing this around me.”

“How are you supposed to know?” Will asks.

That doesn’t draw an immediate response from her. It’s hard to figure out what she’s thinking, not with her oversized sunglasses obscuring half her face, but the way she sticks her tongue in her cheek and leans against the car is all Will or Luther need to know she’s busy coming up with a solution.

“Have you talked to either of them?” Jane asks at last.

“Me?”

“Yes, Will. You.”

“Here and there.”

“About going out with each other?”

“I’ve been working up to it. And neither of you can tease me for it, since you haven’t been successful yet.”

“I wasn’t going to tease you,” she says. “You might be our solution, here.”

Will wilts. “You want me to ask Benji about his lovelife.”

“Or just a better idea of what he thinks of Ethan or dating in general.”

“Why did I agree to this stupid bet again?” he sighs, but he knows there’s no use arguing.

“Great,” Jane chirps. “Meet again tomorrow to discuss Will’s findings?”

“You want me to do it _ tomorrow? _”

“Better sooner than later, don’t you think? Maybe we can meet after lunch. Benji’s always in the cafeteria.” She sends him a reassuring smile, but it does little to quell him. He glances over at Luther, just for any sign that this whole thing was a mistake from the start, but he gets no indication of that from him. It’s just the same old Luther, looking as at ease as he always is, like Will’s the abnormal one for feeling strange about all of this.

“Fine,” he murmurs. “I better get something special if I win this stupid bet.”

***

Sure enough, Benji’s in the cafeteria during lunch, sitting at the table Jane said he’d be at, with a laptop open in front of him and a sandwich off to the side. He’s so engrossed in his work that he hardly seems to care that he’s surrounded by dozens of other agents he could be talking to. It’s almost intimidating, really, that he’s this preoccupied by something presumably work-related when he was on his break.

Each step Will takes towards Benji chips away at his confidence. Not that he’d be an insecure mess by the end of it, but trying to chat up a casual workplace friend about romantic matters with absolutely no preamble is a bit uncomfortable, even if Jane and Luther seem to act like there’s no issue with it. By the time he finally arrives at Benji’s table, he’s able to clear his throat and say, “Benji?”

It doesn’t take any extra prodding to get Benji away from his laptop. He turns around immediately, looking a bit distracted by whatever it is he’s working on, but recognition jumps in his eyes a moment later. “Oh, Will. What are you doing here?”

“I actually hang around here during lunch,” he responds. “I just wanted a change in scenery from my desk.”

“The cafeteria does have a particularly alluring ambiance to it, doesn’t it? I think it’s the greasy floors.”

Will snorts. “Mind if I take a seat?”

“Go ahead.”

Will sits down as Benji reaches forward and shifts some of his things out of the way. “What the hell is all of this for?”

“Well, I started as a computer person and I still like to do computer things, whether or not the IMF assigns it to me.”

“And that means…”

“Computer side project. Maybe I can sell it to some agency like the IMF once I’m finished.”

“Or you could just give it to the IMF and make our lives as field agents easier.”

“Unfortunately, we can’t trust the IMF much better than some other organizations, can we?”

“You hang around Ethan too much.”

Benji lets out an airy laugh. “Jane would tell you the opposite.”

Ah, there it is. “She would?”

“She’s under the impression that Ethan is somewhat of a lonely hermit.” A grin tugs at his lips. “I guess she’s right in some aspects. The IMF constantly chasing him away doesn’t help much. But he’s much better well-groomed.”

“Uh-huh,” Will says stupidly, because that’s all he can think of saying. Benji doesn’t seem perturbed by this conversation at all, and as long as he’s inclined to keep talking, there’s no reason for Will to add anything.

“I wouldn’t say he’s lonely, though,” Benji continues. “I mean, there’s that sort of innate loneliness that comes with being an IMF agent, but -- I’m rambling, aren’t I?”

“I wouldn’t say you were rambling yet.”

“I’ve been trying to cut myself off before I get too out of control.” He shuts his laptop and trades it for his sandwich. “I’ve heard someone call it ‘endearing’ before, but I think it’s more of a nervous habit.”

“Does that mean you’re nervous right now?”

“No offense to you,” he says as he takes a bite. “I naturally veer neurotic.”

Still, there’s enough discomfort present that Benji’s talking even more than Will is used to. “I’m not trying to make you nervous,” Will reassures.

“I think it’s just the change of order, really,” Benji says. “I was waiting for Jane and you showed up, instead.”

“We’ve talked before.”

“On missions and at bars, but never for an entire lunch period by ourselves.”

Bars. There’s Will’s chance. “You can get chatty at bars, too.”

“That’s because I’m drunk, not because I’m nervous.”

Will smiles. “If Jane’s been talking to you all week, I’m sure she’s mentioned last Friday to you.”

“She wants me and Ethan to come along with you three so badly. I told her I’d come to the next one I could make. Actually, I’m open pretty much all next week except for Saturday.”

“What’s happening Saturday?”

“I have a date.”

_ Shit _.

“Oh,” Will says, doing his best to keep his nonchalant composure. “If she says anything, I’ll tell her Saturday won’t work.”

“Hopefully we can get something in before the IMF splits all of us up again. This has been a sort of idyllic period for us, hasn’t it?”

“If greasy cafeteria floors can be called idyllic.”

That makes Benji laugh, but even that can’t totally alleviate the stress that came with Benji so casually announcing he has a date. That’s exactly the kind of answer Will needed, but having to deliver that response back to Jane and Luther isn’t exactly ideal. But Benji continues to eat his lunch, oblivious to regret swirling in Will’s chest. He shouldn’t have sighed that fucking scrap of paper in the bar.

***

“He’s _ what? _”

“I’m just as shocked as you are,” Will sighs. “I thought you said Benji wasn’t dating anyone.”

“He hasn’t been! We were talking about dating three or four months ago and he told me he wasn’t dating around or seeing anybody.”

“He is now, I guess.”

“He never mentioned it to me,” Jane says, voice weary. “I don’t know how I missed that.”

“It’s not something people bring up at work.”

“And he never comes when you invite him somewhere,” Luther adds. “Makes sense that we didn’t know about this. He wouldn’t have said anything about it.”

“Sure, but…” Jane’s shoulders sag. “What if Ethan does ask him out? We’ve been encouraging it, after all.”

“You mean you two have,” Will says. “I haven’t said anything to Ethan.”

“All we can do is see what happens,” Luther answers. “Ethan said he has a bit of a crush on Benji. That’s all he said. He didn’t say anything about going out with him. We know next to nothing about Benji’s situation, either.”

That relaxes Jane a bit, but she’s still visibly tense. “I guess we’ll have to restrategize,” she says. “Maybe we can go out on Saturday and talk about it.”

“You’re persistent to a fault,” Will groans.

“A bet is a bet. I’m not giving up until someone wins. Now, does Saturday work?”

***

They’ve been to this same bar enough times that the table near the front window feels like it’s reserved for them. It’s certainly seen people from the IMF enough times, given their tendency to cram as many people as possible around it whenever a hoard of them came in, but the table feels particularly lonesome tonight as Jane, Will, and Luther sit dejectedly around it. None of them had an idea of what to do next, even despite the time they had between discovering Benji has a date and now.

“I hope he’s having a good time, at least,” Jane says. “I was hoping he’d find someone who makes him happy soon.”

“Even if that someone isn’t Ethan?” Will snorts.

“Maybe making a bet was stupid.”

“Did I just hear you admit that you were wrong?”

“It’s not like I’ve never done that before.”

Their conversation is interrupted when the front door opens and Will instinctively pulls his chair forward instead of answering.

“You’re still scared of that stupid door?” Luther asks.

“Getting suddenly hit by a door when you think you’re sitting safely at your table while piss drunk isn’t something you easily forget.”

Luther rolls his eyes and takes a swig of his drink. “The fact you’ve made it so long as a field agent is incredible.”

“Fuck off.”

“I’d tell Luther to be nice, but sometimes I think you deserve it,” Jane teases.

“Thanks.”

Jane giggles, then scoots her chair backwards. “Do either of you want anything else to drink? It’s on me.”

“I’m good,” Luther tells her.

“I think you owe me another beer,” Will mumbles.

“Be right back, then.” She gets to her feet, grabs her purse, and approaches the bar, where she’s able to place a quick order in for her and Will’s drinks. As she waits for hers to be made, she glances at the rest of the patrons around the bar. People watching has been something she’s always liked, and a hobby that’s proven useful to her as a field agent. She skims her eyes across the crowd, keeping track of people she frequently sees, noting couples and groups of friends she’s unfamiliar with, until her gaze settles on two men at a table at the edge of the building, one already seated, the other bending over to give him a sweet kiss on the lips.

“Ma’am?”

The bartender’s voice jolts Jane out of her thoughts. “What?” she asks as she spins around. “Oh. Sorry. Thank you.” She takes both drinks and hurries back to the table.

“Took you long enough,” Will says, but Jane hardly processes it as she slams the drinks down on the table.

“Benji is here,” she breathes.

“What?” Luther asks.

“He’s with  _ Ethan _ .”

“No fucking way,” Will gasps.

“Look, look, look.” She points her finger in the direction she saw them. Benji’s facing them, chin resting on his folded hands, absolutely beaming at the man in front of him.

“Are you  _ sure  _ that’s Ethan?”

“That’s definitely what the back of Ethan’s head looks like,” Luther says.

“Oh my  _ god _ ,” Jane laughs. “We have to go talk to them.”

“Wait, that doesn’t line up with what they were telling us all week,” Will says. “Does it?”

“There’s only one way to find out.” Before Will has a chance to stop her, Jane starts towards them. Benji’s so engaged in his conversation that he doesn’t notice her until she’s in front of their table.

“Jane?” Benji squeaks when he sees her. The man sitting across from him turns around. Sure enough, it’s Ethan fucking Hunt.

“So,” Jane starts, placing her hands on her hips, “you two can’t come here when I ask, but you come here with each other?”

Benji sends her a sheepish grin. “I didn’t know you were going to be here tonight.”

“I didn’t know  _ you  _ were going to be here tonight.” Her eyes flick over to Ethan. “With him.”

“Wait.” Benji’s brow furrows in the same way it did when Jane had approached him in the cafeteria earlier that week. “You mean you didn’t know I was going on a date with Ethan?”

“Why would I?”

“Then what the fuck were you and Luther on about?”

She blinks at him. “What do you mean?”

“You were telling me to go out with Ethan, Luther was telling him to go out with me.”

“I know that much.”

Ethan clears his throat. “We thought you had figured out that we’re dating.”

Jane’s mind comes screeching to a halt. “You’re dating?”

“We’ve been together for two months,” Benji says. “We haven’t told anyone for professionalism’s sake. What did you think we were doing?”

“We…” Jane glances back towards their table, only to be greeted with Will’s and Luther’s anxious gazes. “Um.” She turns to face Benji and Ethan again. “We were trying to set you up.”

“Wait.” Benji’s face lights up. “You thought we had never realized that we--”

“This is making  _ so  _ much sense now,” Ethan interrupts, laughter lacing his voice. “I guess I should be flattered that you were trying to set me up with my boyfriend.”

“Good chemistry,” Benji agrees with a goofy grin. “But that also means we’re not as subtle as we thought we were.”

They continue talking, but nothing’s fully digesting for Jane. She keeps running over the basic facts in her head -- Benji and Ethan are on a date, at a bar, after dating for two months, and the three of them had been trying to set them up -- again and again, until she finally gets out, “Does that mean you two are the bad spies, or the three of us are the bad spies?”

Ethan laughs, and Benji laughs, and then Jane’s laughing, too. When she flips around again, Will and Luther are just as confused as before, and it makes her laugh even harder. She only barely catches Ethan say, “Mind if we join you at your table?” When she nods her head, the couple get to their feet and follow her back, where Luther and Will watch Jane return to her seat and Benji and Ethan sit near each other with the same bewildered expressions as before.

“I guess I have to make a formal announcement,” Ethan says as Benji scoots his chair closer to him. “Benji’s my boyfriend.”

Will speaks up first. “You can’t be fucking serious.”

“Mm-hm.” Ethan wraps his arm around Benji and allows him to nuzzle in close. “Two months, now.”

Luther’s reaction is only slightly better than Will’s. “Ethan, why didn’t you tell me?”

“My mum doesn’t even know yet, to be fair,” Benji replies. “Suppose we can tell her now, since you lot know.”

“You’re really the first people to find out,” Ethan continues.

“For two whole months?” Luther asks.

“That’s what I said.”

“Wait,” Will starts suddenly, “so when you two were gone last week…”

Ethan only smirks, while Benji hums and tilts his head to press kisses against his cheek.

“Jesus Christ,” Will sighs. “This is something we’ll have to worry about on missions now, isn’t it?”

“We promise to behave ourselves,” Benji says. “At best as we can, at least.”

“We’ve gone this long without anyone realizing.” Ethan looks down at Benji. “Although it wouldn’t hurt getting you all used to it now, would it?” He kisses Benji tenderly enough that the corners of Benji’s mouth turn upwards during it.

“So that’s that, then,” Luther says. “They’ve been dating this whole time.”

“They won our fucking bet,” Will remarks. Benji and Ethan both glance over at him.

“You had a bet?” Ethan asks.

“It doesn’t matter now,” Jane tells him. “Just make out with your boyfriend and call it a night.”

“Well,” Benji starts as he looks over at Ethan, “this  _ is  _ our date night, after all.”

“We can make out and ask questions later. Right?”

“I think so. Right?”

“Just make out already,” Will grumbles.

“Sounds good to me,” Benji murmurs, and he melts against Ethan as Ethan pulls him into a deep kiss.


End file.
